Should I Continue With Mds?

[daveb]

I have been using mini discs in various formats for nearly 6 years now and I am getting fed up with them.

In the past I have had an

MZ-R55 and an MZ-R501 both of these I really liked but unfortenatly I managed to break them.

After this my troubles started. I had two different MZ-N710 units both of which kept stopping and going back to the start of the disk, so I assumed this was a fault of the model.

I then bought a MZ-NH700. Which was fine for a few months but then was unable to record onto the last third of a hi-md disk, which it could do before. Now it is unable to record on hi-md disk at all and the older disk seem to have occasional gaps of silence when playing back.

So have I just been unlucky with my last 3 units or has the built quality got worse as more functionality is crammed in? Should I get a new mini-disc recorder and if so which model or should i just invest in a different format?

I would like to stick with mds as I have hundreds of disks but I would like something that lasts more than a few months.

As my current NH700 isnt a year old I can return it to amazon (uk) and get a replacement. I dont think they have any more NH700s so it will be a different model. Are the second gen Hi-Md any better and are they available in the uk?

Would I be better with a metal case md like my original r55?

Anybody else feeling disillusioned or is it just me?

Thanks for reading all this and thanks for any suggestions?

David

[andysnap]

I certainly haven't had your bad luck with my MZ-N710 which has worked perfectly (and someone at my office has dropped hers a couple of times with no ill effects!).

I've just ordered a new Hi-MD MZ-NH1 from amazon, and I'm wondering if I've made the right decision? Is it worth trading up? Will the NH1 really offer me more than my trusty N710?

And then, should I have gone for a Creative Zen Micro??

Any thoughts, anyone?

Andrew

[A440]

Daveb, sounds like you are either very unlucky or very tough on your units. I have a NHF-800 that I got last August and have been using constantly ever since. It has been dropped a few times, but it still works perfectly.

Before that I got a lot of use out of an MZ-N707 and an MZ-R700.

Yes, the earlier MDs were built like tanks and the new ones are plastic, not metal, but they have held up for me.

Personally--and others may disagree--I would stick with a first-generation, one of the NH units, because they record in the older MD modes as well as the new ones. If Amazon has an NH900 for a replacement, then you'd also get line-out.

Andy, your NH1 will give a whole lot more playing time than your N710, uncompressed audio if you want it and the ability to upload if you make recordings. After Hi-MD, you'll feel like NetMD is obsolete.

Don't think the Zen Micro is going to play your old MDs for you.....

[daveb]

Thanks for your reply.

I dont want to give up on hi-md but I have read in the hi-md forum a lot of other people with the problem that the last third of the disk hasnt been accessable, which I am afraid is a symptom of the hi-md drives being very fault prone.

My only other real experience of sony is with ps2 which is also notorious for having a very poor quality disk drive. I will be interested to see if the psp start to develop drive problems.

it looks like i could get either a MZ-RH10 or MZ-NH1 or MZ-NH600.

I lean towards the NH1

any recommedations?

Edited June 7, 2005 by daveb

[The Low Volta]

it looks like i could get either a  MZ-RH10 or MZ-NH1 or MZ-NH600.

I lean towards the NH1

any recommedations?

←

yes, get a NH900

RH10:

-pro: (crippled) MP3-playback, OLED

-contra: no line out, no accessories unless bought from Japan, no real backwards compatibility, looks plastic

NH1:

-pro: looks nice (magnesium body), good remote, timestamp

-contra: proprietary battery, proprietary USB-connection, needs charging cradle, needs remote for certain functions, no battery add-on, still (very) expensive

NH600:

-pro: cheap, has most of Hi-MD features, good as a player

-contra: cheap and looks a bit that way, less features, has no mic in, bulkier

NH900:

-pro: has almost all Hi-MD goodies (including line out) except for timestamp & MP3-playback, comes in all regions with 'full' accessories (remote/cradle) and Eurocapping can be easily hacked, very sturdy (half aluminium/half plastic), slim without AA-add-on, but has the possibility for AA-add-on, generic spare parts (3V adapter, gumstick battery) so easily replacable/upgradable,... (too much to mention all of them )

-contra: no OLED, no MP3-playback (though I couldn't care less), no timestamp (same as previous), not the best remote (but MUCH better than the non-LCD of the non-Japanese RH10), not that cheap yet (depends, has been sold for £70, but you have to look around for a deal)

but if you HAVE to choose between RH10, NH600, NH1...it depends on whether you need the backwards compatibility (NH1 then) or you don't (RH10, just because of the proprietary bits of the NH1 which I really don't like and the nice OLED of the RH10 which I really do like... but make sure they repair the titling bug before they ship it and look around for a decent remote)

greetings, Volta

[atrain]

note the RH10 also has a dry cell battery add on where as the nh1 does not. this limits the batt life to the onboard cell only.

[daveb]

Thanks.

Sadly I cant get a NH900 from amazon as they dont stock it anymore.

I want backwards compatablity for my existing mds, otherwise I would probably just give up the format.

Is the NH1 completly metal? If so hopefully it will be stronger.

What is the proprietary usb connection?

Its actually fairly cheap on amazon.

[The Low Volta]

Is the NH1 completly metal?  If so hopefully it will be stronger.

it's the last player to be fully covered with a magnesium body...it IS very strong (to be honest, I've not yet seen any complaints ever about the plastic body of MD-players breaking) but that doesn't say anything about the insides of course

What is the proprietary usb connection?

←

the USB connector on the player itself isn't any standard connector. It is a Sony only and even NH1 only type of connection. This means that no standard USB-cable can be used as a replacement. If you want to use the Hi-MD at different places (like for file transfer) you always have to take the cable with you. Also since all charging has to be done through the cradle, this is yet another bit to take with you...

but all said, despite these limitations, most of the NH1 users here on MDCF are VERY happy with their machine, so...it has to have something extra, which we not-owners can't see, that really makes it top of the line... so go for it and report back with your impressions,

Volta

to read more about the NH1, check this

[bobt]

Hi Daveb,

You will be very happy with the NH1, I've had one for about 6 months, have never had any recording problem, the only suggestion I can offer is upgrade the headphones, Sony gives you a really cheap one, get a good portable case, I use the one from my MZ-N707, room for the unit and two or three discs, and if you feel extravagant order another battery. I can get 3 days listening out of mine. Just downloaded the manual going to see how hard it will be to add external battery pack or charging without the cradle.

When you are connected to the computer the computer supplies power so battery life is increaded somewhat.

Happy days to ya,

Bob

[andysnap]

it looks like i could get either a  MZ-RH10 or MZ-NH1 or MZ-NH600.

I lean towards the NH1

any recommedations?

←

I got my NH-1 from amazon.co.uk yesterday, and its absolutely the biz! I had doubts about upgrading from my MZN710(see 2nd post in this thread), but these doubts evaporated as soon as I opened the box. The NH-1 is a thing of great beauty!

The menu system took a little working out, and the tiny 'joystick' control is neat but maybe too small for big fingers, but I've got it all worked out now. The sound quality seems better than my 710 too, maybe helped by the Sennheiser MX500 earphones I've bought. And the unit works more 'smoothly' than the 710.

For the £109 I paid, its fantastic. Very recommended by me at least.

[raintheory]

As far as backwards compatibility with the 2nd gen models... You shouldn't run into problems unless you want to manually record (with the unit itself) in pre-HiMD formats... In other words, if you have a bunch of partially full standard MDs that you want to do live recordings on... you are out of luck... (I am very glad I realized this and didn't sell my NH-900)

Keep in mind however, that you can use SonicStage to record in those formats with the 2nd gen units. So things arent a total loss.

As much as I like my RH10... I am still very much disappointed (as are alot of people) with it's shortcomings.. Looking on the bright side, at least I can record in total darkness with the RH10..

Edited June 11, 2005 by raintheory

[andysnap]

looks like i could get either a MZ-RH10 or MZ-NH1 or MZ-NH600.

I lean towards the NH1 any recommedations?[/quote

I'm continuing to 'learn' my new NH1, and I've found that the very small, 1 line screen on the unit itself will not display any track info, even track title. So I love every aspect of the NH1 except this, as it means the (excellent) remote has to be used at all times to really properly use the player.

I'm wondering if I should return the lovely NH1 to amazon (were it is a bargain £109.99 at the moment) and get an NH900 instead (which actually cost £10 more!), which has a full screen, and useful jog wheel on the player's front panel??

Any thoughts from other users??

Andrew

Edited June 11, 2005 by andysnap

[The Low Volta]

I'm wondering if I should return the lovely NH1 to amazon (were it is a bargain £109.99 at the moment) and get an NH900 instead (which actually cost £10 more!), which has a full screen, and useful jog wheel on the player's front panel??

Any thoughts from other users??

←

I love my NH900, I think it can do almost anything the NH1 can, except for the timestanp function and the clock

It is slightly bulkier (very little though) and has a somewhat more limited remote

but it has the bigger (but not always easy to read) display on the player and has the AA add-on (so battery life is extendeable) and no proptietary elements (like the NH1's USB-connection, USB-cable, special current connector which requires the charging stand, special Sony Li-Ion battery,...)

'cause of these reasons, I personally prefer the NH900 over the NH1, which is why I chose the NH900, but I have never really used the NH1 (only handled it in the shop), so to really compare their useability aspects is kinda hard for me

hope this still helps a bit

greetings, Volta

[bobt]

Hi all,

Volta we are on opposite ends, although I really considered the 900 as well as the NH1 before I made my choice. What turned it for me is that rarely do I have a chance to have the flagship of any company, and at the time the price difference was about $100 Canadian which worked out to about $60 Cayman which is no real difference. yes the AA battery and outbord pack do add a lot of credence to the900, but as I have stated in other letters battery life has never been an issue for me, it's always on the cradle before the battery goes down, My I-Pod friends think mine looks better than theirs.

It is miles aboe My MZ-N707 in quality and features.

MP3's don't play a big role in my life, so one extra step to put the on a disc is no big thing.

To anyone looking look at everything before youe make a choice. In the top three or four that Sony make you will not be disapointed.

TTFN

Bob

[andysnap]

although I really considered the 900 as well as the NH1 before I made my choice. What turned it for me is that rarely do I have a chance to have the flagship of any company,

Well I've ordered a MH900 so I'll have a look at that, and then decide which one I'll return.

The NH1 is a superb player, but I'm thinking that I'll find the 900 easier to use. The NH1's remote is great, but I'd rather have less wires dangling around, and direct control on the unit, a la, dare I say, an iPod, or my old N710.

If only the 900 was made of magnesium, and had the NH1 remote for occasional use . .

BTW BobT, love the DS car!

Andrew

[andysnap]

Thanks.

Sadly I cant get a NH900 from amazon as they dont stock it anymore.

You can get the 900 from Amazon Marketplace, and webretailer, empiredirect.co.uk.

It's only £10 more than the NH1, at £119.99, although there is £5 p&p on top as it's not directly from amazon.

That still means both the MH900 and the NH1 are absurdly cheap at the moment, compared to their £200+ original prices.

Andrew

[raintheory]

Well I've ordered a MH900 so I'll have a look at that, and then decide which one I'll return.

The NH1 is a superb player, but I'm thinking that I'll find the 900 easier to use. The NH1's remote is great, but I'd rather have less wires dangling around, and direct control on the unit, a la, dare I say, an iPod, or my old N710.

If only the 900 was made of magnesium, and had the NH1 remote for occasional use . .

BTW BobT, love the DS car!

Andrew

←

I beleive the N1 remote is compatible with the 900... I haven't used it myself, but I think I remember reading/hearing about it..

[bobt]

Hi Andy,

Thanx on the car, had a couple in the 70's, always loved them, trying to find a way to get one hee to Cayman.

Good luck with the MD

[andysnap]

Well I've ordered a MH900 so I'll have a look at that, and then decide which one I'll return. The NH1 is a superb player, but I'm thinking that I'll find the 900 easier to use.

←

OK, now I have both the NH1 and the NH900, and my dilemma begins. Intending to choose one over the other, I like both of them!

The NH1 really feels like a class act, whereas the NH900 feels 'cheaper'(only in comparison to the NH1) but the jog wheel dial is really very useful over the seperate remote with the NH1.

So which one stays? Or maybe I should just keep them both, as Amazon's price for the NH! effectively 'pays' for the NH900. . . . .

The MiniDisc version of big Brother, help me choose!

Andrew

[Haybrd]

OK, now I have both the NH1 and the NH900, and my dilemma begins. Intending to choose one over the other, I like both of them!

The NH1 really feels like a class act, whereas the NH900 feels 'cheaper'(only in comparison to the NH1) but the jog wheel dial is really very useful over the seperate remote with the NH1.

So which one stays? Or maybe I should just keep them both, as Amazon's price for the NH! effectively 'pays' for the NH900. . . . . 

The MiniDisc version of big Brother, help me choose!

Andrew

←

Big Brother, You Decide....

Well I plan to get the NH900 this weekend (pay day on Friday!) . The 2 things that swing it for me 1) The rechargable battery in the NH900 is openly available, the NH1 is only available thru Sony I believe 2) You can add on the dry cell case to the 900 giving you more battery life (I don't travel lots but when I do I like to travel light so no charger).

[andysnap]

Big Brother, You Decide....

Well I plan to get the NH900 this weekend (pay day on Friday!) . The 2 things that swing it for me 1) The rechargable battery in the NH900 is openly available, the NH1 is only available thru Sony I believe 2) You can add on the dry cell case to the 900 giving you more battery life (I don't travel lots but when I do I like to travel light so no charger).

←

True! And I've found higher power 'gumstick' batteries (1400mH) on eBay for about a tenner. Amazon are currently selling the NH1 for less than than NH900!

Go to empiredirect.co.uk,(or amazon Marketplace link to that site) for the cheapest NH900 I could find, £119.99.

Still undecided . . .!

Andrew

[Christopher]

Sell the NH1 and keep the remote that came with it and use it with the NH900.

[andysnap]

OK, now I have both the NH1 and the NH900, and my dilemma begins. Intending to choose one over the other, I like both of them!

So which one stays? Or maybe I should just keep them both, as Amazon's price for the NH1 effectively 'pays' for the NH900. . . . . 

The MiniDisc version of big Brother, help me choose!

←

Should anyone be interested, after reading the forums and reviews, Big Brother (me!) has evicted the sleek and lovely NH1 in favour of the useful NH900, function won over style. But voting was very very close . . .

Andrew

[Haybrd]

Should anyone be interested, after reading the forums and reviews, Big Brother (me!) has evicted the sleek and lovely NH1 in favour of the useful NH900, function won over style. But voting was very very close . . . 

Andrew

←

Hope you are happy with it Andy.

Finally got my NH900 yesterday (my first choice shop sold out 2 weeks ago when I planned to get it. Lucky though cause the new shop (argos) was doing them for £99 so saved a bit of dosh!)

I have to say I am well happy! The player is great, the sound fantastic (ATRAC3+) even sonicstage works on my old PC (no doubt the wheels will come off at some point though!) thanks to you all for the help and advice over the last few weeks.

[1kyle]

Hope you are happy with it Andy.

Finally got my NH900 yesterday (my first choice shop sold out 2 weeks ago when I planned to get it. Lucky though cause the new shop (argos) was doing them for £99    so saved a bit of dosh!)

I have to say I am well happy! The player is great, the sound fantastic (ATRAC3+) even sonicstage works on my old PC (no doubt the wheels will come off at some point though!) thanks to you all for the help and advice over the last few weeks.

←

Nice buy -- I still like the NH1 (maybe I'm a bit of a fashion freak) --but for GBP 99 a NH900 can't be faulted so well done and enjoy.

Cheers

-K

[andysnap]

Nice buy -- I still like the NH1 (maybe I'm a bit of a fashion freak)  --but for GBP 99 a NH900 can't be faulted so well done and enjoy.

←

I chose an NH900 over an NH1, and part of me says I should have . . . kept both! I miss the sleekness of the NH1, although can't fault the sound or practicality of the 900.

And now Argos knock another 20 quid off the price I paid for my 900, grrr

The NH1 at Amazon, and the NH900 at Argos are utter bargains for UK shoppers right now.

Enjoy your new £99 NH900, and look out for Low Volta's posts in praise of it

Andrew

[veezhun]

or just get the rh10 and be amazed by the OLED screen and the sheer beauty of the device

[The Low Volta]

Enjoy your new £99 NH900, and look out for Low Volta's posts in praise of it

haha...praise!... praise? I paid my NH900 €250 and now you would like me to praise this little splitting machine?

no really... I do still think it (the NH900) is one of the two best Hi-MD models around... the other being the RH10 (Japanese imported). I used to think that the NH900 won mainly on basis of line out (which I use quite a lot) but as Dex has measured that the line out-imitation on the RH10 by truning eq off and vol->29/30 and as I still have to go into the menus for switching from headphone->line out (which really is about the same effort as the imitation) and as I do not own any older (non-Hi-MD) stuff so backwards compatibility is quite useless for me... I'm really beginning to appreciate the RH10 (especially the OLED) even though I would only consider a J. imported version and I don't really like the plastic looks (gets scaffed/scratched way too easily)

but hey, as you can buy NH900's for £99 you have in your hand IMHO one of the best Hi-MD models around and if you decide to continue with the format...you could always get a second one pretty soon (as you probably have quite some money left with that rediculously low price ) and then have this one as a brilliant little do-all/backup machine... (and if you get an RH10 as a second one, you do not really have to bother with Japanese import, as you already have got an LCD-remote from this one)

enjoy your steal ,

Volta

[Haybrd]

enjoy your steal ,

Volta

←

Well thank you Volta, your glowing praise meant I didn't bow to pressure and get the NH1 and I am well chuffed with my buy!

I think sony should employ you has an ambassador for the NH900!

Now I just have to get to grips with the hundred and one functions on the thing!

Cheers all!

[The Low Volta]

Well thank you Volta, your glowing praise meant I didn't bow to pressure and get the NH1 and I am well chuffed with my buy!

glad to hear you like it!

I think sony should employ you has an ambassador for the NH900! 

well, they could always send me an RH10 as payment and about my marketing-speech... just wait till they bring out a 3rd gen model which combines all the pros from the NH900 and the RH10 (so actually an NH900 with a big fat less easy to scratch OLED )... nothing will stop me then, I will even convert the i-puddle 'en masse'

Volta

[1kyle]

I chose an NH900 over an NH1, and part of me says I should have  . . . kept both! I miss the sleekness of the NH1, although can't fault the sound or practicality of the 900.

And now Argos knock another 20 quid off the price I paid for my 900, grrr

The NH1 at Amazon, and the NH900 at Argos are utter bargains for UK shoppers right now.

Enjoy your new £99 NH900, and look out for Low Volta's posts in praise of it

Andrew

←

Hi Andrew -- Also from "Gods County" (Yorkshire UK -- But E. Yorks not N. Yorks)

Hope you were OK in the recent floods

And enjoy the 900.

Cheers

-K

[Breepee2]

just wait till they bring out a 3rd gen model which combines all the pros from the NH900 and the RH10 (so actually an NH900 with a big fat less easy to scratch OLED   )... nothing will stop me then, I will even convert the i-puddle 'en masse'

Let's just hope first that there's gonna be a 3rd gen, and worry about the iPodders later

[Scopio15]

Hey, I have a MZ-N710 and havent had any trouble untill about a year after i bought it when it started stopping and going to a totally different track i ignored this as i thought it may be something to do with the fact i ride my bike a lot. Recently though the sound has severly taken a turn for the worse as very small movements affect it and sometimes the sound only comes out of one side. I got some new earphones thinking they were the problem ... it turns out they werent. I've been looking around to see if people have been having similar problems i just hope it isnt something serious like the laser!!

[andysnap]

I chose an NH900 over an NH1, and part of me says I should have  . . . kept both! I miss the sleekness of the NH1, although can't fault the sound or practicality of the 900.

←

Well, I've just gone and bought an NH1 again!

It really did have a 'special' quality that I don't think will get repeated now Sony are apparently making only plastic cased MD units.

Andrew

[marctronixx]

mds are soo worth it. i was probably the firt guy in my town to get the mz1 back in 1992. at 900 dollars US it was costly but man it was worth it.l

i have the nh1 gold and blue n1.. but my fav?? my 13 year old mz1.. still going strong... both of them...

so for me MDs are not a fad they are part of my life.ive got discs that are 13 years old that still work fine....

[andysnap]

mds are soo worth it. i was probably the firt guy in my town to get the mz1 back in 1992. at 900 dollars US it was  costly but man it was worth it.l

i have the nh1 gold and blue n1.. but my fav?? my 13 year old mz1.. still going strong... both of them...

so for me MDs are not a fad they are part of my life.ive got discs that are 13 years old that still work fine....

←

Wow, $900! I've just paid £85 for my 'boxed as new' s/h NH1.

How technology has plummented in price. If only Sony had priced their MD players lower from the beginning, maybe the Pods would never have happened . . .

Andrew

[marctronixx]

yeah thats how much the first gen player cost back in 1992 when it debuted....

in all fairness to sony, they had a new product that was so ahead of the times.. they had to recoup their R and D somehow...